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Narrative:The aircraft departed runway 27, Navan Airfield (EIHH) at 07:35 hrs with the pilot’s stated intention to fly to Biggin Hill, UK (EGKB). After take-off the aircraft climbed to 2,000 feet (ft) and proceeded east towards the Irish Sea. A short time later the aircraft forward canopy opened unexpectedly. The canopy was held briefly by a restraining cable and initially opened by approximately 25 millimetres (mm). The fastener at the end of the cable broke shortly afterwards, allowing the forward canopy to fully open and hit the rear canopy located behind the pilot’s head. The canopy Perspex shattered. At the time of the occurrence, the aircraft was travelling at 110 Knots (Kts). The open canopy caused the aircraft to pitch upwards. The aircraft inverted and began to lose altitude. The pilot recovered the situation by using full left aileron. The pilot informed the Investigation that the open canopy changed the flight characteristics of the aircraft and that he had to maintain full engine power in short bursts. This kept the aircraft above stall speed whilst protecting the engine from a significant overspeed. The pilot began to experience breathing difficulties because of the force of the air flow and he elected to land as soon as possible. He identified a suitable field, and carried out a successful forced landing.